


Blossoms from the ashes

by JupiterGoddess



Category: Naruto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28110024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JupiterGoddess/pseuds/JupiterGoddess
Summary: Sai x Ino fluff.Of all the people, Ino would have expected Sai to be the last who comfort her at her father's grave after the terrible war. But he does.
Relationships: Sai/Yamanaka Ino
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Blossoms from the ashes

**Author's Note:**

> This work is... old. I did smooth out three or four places where I really wrote badly. But I hope the rest still holds up.

Ino stood in front of the grave, her vision blurry with tears. It had been two months, but it still hurt as if it had just happened. Again and again, her father’s last words repeated in her mind. The image of the Jubi firing that bijudama which had destroyed headquarters, seemed to have engraved itself into her eyes. At least she had her team-mate Shikamaru to talk to. The new leader oft he Nara clan had lost his own father in that very own attack. Thus he could understand her pain more than anyone else, because it was his own too.  
Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka. Two names. Two graves next to each other. Two of the previous Ino-Shika-Cho formation, leaving Choza as the sole survivor of the trio.  
And it hurt. It still hurt. Inoichi had been a great father. Ino was full of fond memories. And she missed him dearly. The only thing she could do was to always have fresh flowers on his grave. Under her care, they got exchanged before they could wilt.   
Suddenly, a pair of blue flowers appeared in her blurred field of vision. In surprise, Ino looked up – and stared into Sai’s smiling face.  
„S-Sai…“  
„Good day, Ino.“  
The blond kunoichi was so surprised, that she blurted: „Wh-what’re you doing here?“  
Sai gazed down at the grave. His face changed into his usual empty expression. In a low voice he said: „I’ve come to pay hommage to your father, as well as all the other shinobi fallen in the great war.“ Unexpected words coming from this former member of Danzo’s Root. His black eyes met hers. „It’s been two months, hasn’t it.“  
„Yeah…“ Grief took hold of Ino’s heart again. With eyes heavy from sadness, she returned her eyes on her father’s gravestone. „Two months…“  
It was so far back, yet at the same time it seemed as it had been yesterday. Once again, Ino was pulled down by the whirlpool of memories. Suddenly, she felt something at her hand. At first, she didn’t realise what it was. Then, to her utter disbelief, she recognised it as Sai’s hand. His fingers, cool but not cold, intertwined with hers. The gesture felt so natural, as if they had been doing this already for ages.  
Ino was frozen. Barely believed it. After all, never before had anyone seen or heard of Sai performing such intimacies. The poor guy had been raised in the care of Danzo’s Anbu unit, Root, an upbringing that had stripped him of all his feelings.  
And then there was that other thing… ever since meeting Sai for the first time, she had liked him. However, only after the war ended had she started how much she liked him. Though, so far she hadn’t been able to come up with a plan on how to approach him.  
And now this…  
Ino noticed him glancing at her. Sai must’ve noticed her stiffening, for he said: „Did I do something wrong? I read that friends sometimes hold hands to comfort each other.“  
Ino forced herself to relax and took a deep breath. Then she smiled at him. „No, Sai. It’s not that. This entire situation is just… unexpected, is all.“ To underline her words, she gripped his hand a little tighter. Then she did something which surprised even herself.  
„Stay“, she whispered.  
Sai studied her for a moment, his black eyes bearing into her green ones. It was such an intense stare that Ino actually had to contain herself not to flinch. His eyes had something of black, polished diamonds. Then he smiled, his eyes softening a little. Ino hat trouble believing it, but it was an honest, natural smile.  
„Very well.“  
Together, they remained standing in front of the grave for a while. The silence was not awkward, despite their hands still joined. Instead, it was pensive. Memories of her father flashed through Ino’s mind. Good memories. And they weren’t as painful as before, because now someone was at her side. Sai’s pressence next to her felt calming, as if she were standing at a large, quiet lake.   
How odd, seen as he was a shinobi with barely any emotions.  
But Ino had to admit, Sai had always been the calm type. One thing that had drawn her to Sasuke back when she had been a little girl. Another thing the two blackhaired boys had in common, and which had drawn her to Sai as well.  
,Get a hold of yourself, Ino!‘, she chided herself. ,You’re visiting dad right now!‘  
With some effort, she finished her silent prayer and bid her father goodbye. Then, still holding Sai’s surprisingly warm hand, she pulled at it. The Root member followed her wordlessly. As they were heading for the exit, Ino opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to it.  
„Uhm… shouldn’t you let go of my hand by now?“  
The Yamanaka kunoichi wasn’t offended by this question. I might have sounded rude, but only if one didn’t know Sai. In truth, there was swinging a touch of curiosity and uncertainty in his voice. Ino only noticed it because she was a Yamanaka. Her clan’s signature move was the Mind Transmission Jutsu, and they were very gifted in other jutsus that had to with the mind. As such, they possessed great knowledge of the human psyche and behaviour. Their eyes and ears were fine-tuned to the tiniest timbres of the voice or the smallest reactions of the body that betrayed one’s inner feelings. And Sai… he was genuinely trying to regain his emotions. Though, that question seemed to stem from something he had read. Like, holding hands with a friend for too long was impolite.  
„No“, the blond Yamanaka assured him. „Your hand is perfectly fine where it is.“ Then, before her courage failed her, she added a question. „Mind going for a walk with me?“  
„Not at all. I’d love to“, he said with one of his new, genuine smiles.  
And so they strolled through Konoha, which was hit by an afternoon sun. It was the middle of autumn, and summer sent a last wave of heat against the nearing winter. There was activity in the village, and yet one could sense the calm of peace beneath it. A peace bought with so many lives.  
That thought turned her mind towards her father again, and there was a pang in her heart.  
,Some pain one can’t get over, no matter how much time passes, huh.’  
The two of them had walked in silence for a few minutes, but now Ino couldn’t keep quiet much longer. She opened her mouth and told Sai. Told him about her father; the things they had done together, and what a great dad he had been. She just told him what came to her mind. Why? She had no idea. Nor did she knew why she spilled her heart to Sai of all people.   
And Sai listened. He was a great listener. He never interrupted her, and he took in her words with the same concentration with which he went about his work.  
How long Ino had talked, she didn’t know afterwards. When she finished, they walked in silence again for a few moments.  
Their hands were still linked.  
„Thank you, Sai“, she eventually said. „It did me so good to talk about all this. I feel a little relieved now. It doesn’t hurt as much as before anymore. Sorry for boring you with all this.“  
„Not at all“, came the surprising reply. Ino felt he meant it. „I liked listening to you. Your father was a great man. And he raised a fine daughter. The most beautiful flower of them all.“  
That remark chased all dire thoughts from Ino. They made her even blush!  
„S-Sai…“  
„There“, the blackhaired shinobi said. „That’s much better. You’re much more beautiful when you smile or blush than when you’re sad.“  
That made Ino blush even deeper. „I… I…“ She broke off, having no idea what to say.  
Sai huffed bemusedly. Then, more serious, he said: „I understand your pain, Ino. I really do. Years ago, I too lost someone precious to me.“  
The blond kunoichi listened in astonishment. And she knew what he was talking about. Sakura had told her the story of Sai and Shin, two boys who had been as close as brothers.  
„It’s okay to mourn“, the blackhaired shinobi continued. „But Sasuke’s fate showed me that one shouldn’t let oneself get overwhelmed by such negative emotions. Life goes on, wether you want to or not. Besides…“ A faint smile on his lips. „I don’t think your father would want you to crumble under your grief. You’re a flower, Ino, so open your blossom out of the ashes of your grief.“  
Ino was speechless. I couldn’t possibly be true. Sai, the emotionless, cold, calm and collected Sai, couldn’t have said such sweet words. It was simply too good to be true.  
Yet, the truth of his words got through to her. Why, she had no idea. Ino had received many condolences, and of course she and her mother had comforted each other. But for some reason, nothing had had such an impact as the words of the emotionless artist next to her.  
Suddenly, she pulled at his arms and used the momentum to press her lips on his. A kiss, short, but passionate. Afterwards, Ino happily clung at his arm. She hadn’t been able to contain herself. Ino was flooded with the desire to be the one helping him to open up.  
„It seems we both are like blossoms in the ashes, waiting to open up“, she said. „And your petals are already opening by themselves. Let me help you on the rest of your way.“  
„I-Ino…“  
Surprised by his stammering, the blond kunoichi looked at him – and giggled, .  
„Sai, you’re blushing!“

Sakura strolled through Konoha. A long day of work at the hospital was over, and she was a little exhausted. So she had decided to make her way home into a leisurly walk.  
Suddenly, something caught her attention. In the crowd, she spotted two familiar figures, one blond, the other blackhaired.  
Sai and Ino.  
Sakura’s interest woke and lifted its head. The pinkhaired kunoichi had been slightly worried about her friend. In the war, Ino had lost her father, and she just didn’t seem tot o be able to get over it.  
The medical ninja decided to follow them. Saw how Ino seemed to be telling Sai stuff. Suddenly they stopped, still talking. To Sakura’s surprise, Ino blushed. What the hell had Sai told her.  
And then, out of the blue, Ino kissed him.  
Sakura struggled not to gape. Incredulous, she saw Sai blushing and Ino giggling.  
,This has to be a dream. Or a genjutsu. I… I don’t believe it.’  
But then she grinned. Ino seemed much more happy than the last couple of weeks. Whatever she and Sai had talked about, it had helped. As incredible as it was, with Sai being Sai.  
With a smile, she turned went on her way home.  
,Go for it, Ino.‘  
However, the shadow of a thought crept on her heart. Her mind wandered to another certain blackhaired ninja, who was on a journey of redemption.  
,Sasuke… where are you right now?‘


End file.
